A Very Spuffy Ending
by Julbie
Summary: Just a bit of fluff. My fantasy conclusion to "Not Fade Away."


They survived.  
  
He had no idea how or why. He wasn't even sure if they'd won or lost. But they survived.   
  
He couldn't remember much... only blood, pain, lots of merry violence and at some point, a turn of the tide.   
  
Apparently, the Powers That Be decided to stop acting like Team Angel was a one-night-stand they were trying to avoid and actually showed up to help. Sort of. There was a loud noise, a swirly black hole where the alley used to be... and then total quiet, leaving the stunned band of rebels... what was left of them... alone in the alley. They looked around at each other, beaten and wounded, and could think of nothing to say.  
  
They took Gunn to the hospital in silence, mourning the loss of Wesley and thinking of Lorne. Illyria became Fred so she could sit by Gunn in his hospital room. He had lost conciousness at some point during the battle but miraculously lived on. Illyria didn't understand her need to stay with him. It accomplished nothing, but it somehow made her feel comforted.  
  
Angel mumbled something about going back to the Hyperion and getting the electricity turned back on because this was only the beginning. A ray of bloody sunshine, he was.   
  
Spike stopped at the 7-Eleven on the way back to his apartment to pick up a twelve-pack of shitty American beer and a bottle of Jack Daniels. He had thought for sure this would be his last night on earth. He was almost... looking forward to it. But it was starting to become very clear that someone or something wanted to keep him around a bit longer. Unsettling, that was. But he'd done his good deed for today, averted yet another bloody apocalypse and tonight he was getting pissed. He'd start worrying tomorrow.   
  
He opened the door to his apartment and threw his key on the table. It fell right to the floor as the table had been broken in half. He shook his head and thought, I'm asking for a raise tomorrow. He moved toward the refrigerator to put the beer away but froze halfway across the floor, sensing a presence behind him. A very familiar presence. His breathing grew shallow and his mind raced but he couldn't latch on to any actual thoughts.   
  
Very slowly, he turned around.   
  
She stood up from the couch. Her face held an expression he couldn't read. And their eyes met.  
  
"Buffy."  
  
She didn't answer. Instead, she walked across the floor toward him and stopped when they were only inches apart. Instinctively, he flinched when she finally spoke. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
Spike had no response. For a moment he thought maybe he had died and this was Heaven. Or Hell, depending on what came out of Buffy's mouth next.   
  
"Answer me!"  
  
Okay, Hell it was then. "Buffy... I..."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
She pushed him hard and he almost dropped his bag of liquid treats. He put it down gently as he watched her walk away from him and pace the room.  
  
After a few moments, she whirled on him and he flinched again. "I had to find out from Andrew?!" she yelled.  
  
Through gritted teeth, Spike said, "I told him not to tell you."  
  
"Why?" Buffy demanded.  
  
Spike spoke very softly. "I thought it would be better that way."  
  
"Well, you're an idiot! And if that's really what you think, then why did you come to my apartment looking for me? Asking about my personal life? Talking to people in clubs about me? Andrew didn't know if you changed your mind or what. He's a frigging wreck. He let something slip and then I had to drag it out of him while he was bawling his eyes out. Do you really think that was the best way for me to find out?"   
  
"I didn't mean to... I thought... when I heard about you and The Immortal... he's such a WANKER! ...and I thought at first you needed my help, so--"  
  
He couldn't finish because she had suddenly thrown her arms around him while simultaneously bursting into tears.   
  
He closed his eyes as he held her and breathed in her scent. God, he missed her.   
  
"I can't believe I'm talking to you. I can't believe I have my arms around you," she cried over his shoulder. "Spike, I thought you were gone."  
  
"I'm sorry, Buffy." Spike said as he rocked her. "I never meant to hurt you. I just... the way I went out... I kind of wanted that to be the way you remembered me."  
  
She pulled away sniffing and smiled up at him. "It was kind of cool. Big with the heroic. We still talk about it. We talk about you a lot."  
  
"Really?"  
  
She hit him weakly in the chest. "YES! You stupid jackass. We love you!"  
  
He raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Okay, Dawn and I love you. The rest... well they like you as a friend. Although, I'm pretty sure Andrew loves you, too."   
  
"I do get that vibe."   
  
"So?" Buffy prodded.  
  
"What?"   
  
"This is the part where you tell me you love me too."   
  
Spike tilted his head and looked deep into her eyes. "You know I love you, Buffy. And I'm..." He struggled with the words. "I'm... glad you've moved on."  
  
She looked at him with a question on her face. "Oh... you mean with The Immortal? Spike, please."  
  
Spike's brow furrowed. "You're not... you don't love him?" He braced himself for the answer.   
  
"He's a great guy and all..." she shrugged.  
  
Spike gritted his teeth.  
  
"...but, Spike, when I heard you were alive. I didn't even think about him. I just got on a plane. As a matter of fact, he's probably in a bar right now wondering why I stood him up." Buffy looked away, thoughtfully. "You know, maybe I should call him."  
  
"He'll live." Spike took her hand and got her attention. "You know, I wasn't alone when I came to Rome looking for you."  
  
Buffy smiled. "I heard. You and Angel. Bestest buds. This, I have to see to believe."  
  
"He still cares about you," Spike said, tentatively, "Even though he is tangling with some wolf girl at the moment. Or rather he was, but he sent her out of the country to keep her from danger."  
  
Buffy shook her head. "Angel dumps a girl when things get tough. Must be Tuesday."   
  
Spike looked at her in surprise. Then, after a moment, laughed heartily. "You know," he said, catching his breath, "this is going much better than I thought it would."  
  
"What did you think I would do, bust down your door and start pounding on you?"  
  
"Well... yeah."  
  
Buffy smiled, then tugged on his hand and guided him toward the couch. They sat together but she didn't let go of his hand. "You haven't been around to witness the emergence of a kinder, gentler Buffy. It's hard to be stressed out and miserable in Rome. Plus there's that whole burden of lone world save-age that's been lifted somewhat."  
  
He looked at her for a long moment. She really did seem happier and lighter of spirit. It made him feel happy too. "I'm glad to hear it, Buffy."   
  
There was an awkward gap in the conversation. He couldn't help noticing that her hand was still folded into his and she made no move to let go. He wracked his exhausted brain for a new topic. "Oh!" he said, finally, "Speaking of world save-age. We had a little of that action tonight, in fact."   
  
Buffy grinned. "Spike, how long have you known me?"  
  
He tilted his head in confusion. That was not the response he expected.  
  
"Do you really think I'd let an apocalypse go by without being a part of it?"  
  
Realization suddenly dawned on him. "The swirly thing? That was you?"  
  
"Well, technically it was Willow. But me and Giles came up with the idea. Okay well, Giles came up with the idea, but I was all...'we have to do something.' and then everyone rallied. I was the rally-er." She grew serious. "We were late to the party, though. Giles found Wesley."  
  
Spike put his head down. "I made a lot of new friends this year. And then I lost them. Sometimes I really hate being so bloody eternal."   
  
Buffy put a hand on the back of his neck and gently pulled him into another hug. To his astonishment and embarrassment, Spike started crying. Buffy soothed him gently until he was calm again. Then, slowly, he pulled away and pushed some of her hair away from her face. "Thank you for being here."  
  
Buffy thought she might start crying too, but decided she didn't want to spend the night taking turns blubbering. She flicked her eyes over to the grocery bag on the floor. "Wanna get drunk?"   
  
"God yes."   
  
Two hours later they were slumped on the couch, shoulder to shoulder, watching tv and drinking everything in sight.   
  
Buffy was in the middle of telling a very lively story. "And then Xander showed up out of like, nowhere with this chick he met in Africa and we're all like... "Hello?! She's evil. Get a clue, already. And of course he didn't believe us, and of course we had to rescue his dumb ass again, but now he's back in England and helping Giles and training to be a Watcher so maybe he'll be more, you know, watchful. Okay and Kennedy... totally went the way of Faith. Not Good Faith who lives in New York with Robin, but Bad Faith who I had to teach a lesson to. And, you know, of course I had to do something about Kennedy but she just kind of vanished. Willow was pretty messed up for a while. I went to her place to ask her to do a locator spell to find Kennedy but I noticed she was keeping another pet rat in her apartment and I thought it was best not to persue the whole Kennedy issue, if you know what I mean."  
  
"Mmmm," Spike replied, not really knowing what she meant because he was very drunk. "Oh," he said after a second, getting it. "Hey, well, that's a kind of justice, isn't it?"  
  
"I just hope she knows what she's doing." Buffy sat straight up. "I can't believe I just said that! I hate that expression! That's what people keep saying about me and it really pisses me off!" She grabbed Spike by the shirt for emphasis.  
  
"Why do they say that?" he asked, head bobbing.   
  
She let him go. "Because of The Immortal. Specifically, because I'm dating him."  
  
"Oh," Spike heaved a little, "that."   
  
"Dawn was all...'you're just replacing Spike. It's too soon. You'll get hurt, blah, blah, blah...' what does she know?! She found herself some perfecto Italian guy who's all smooth and 'Caio' and totally boring, but I find a guy who... okay maybe he's kind of evil, but he's also kind of not... and suddenly I'm an After School Special again."   
  
Spike was suddenly quite alert. "Dawn thinks you're replacing me? With The Immortal?"   
  
Buffy laughed goofily and pushed his face away. When he looked back at her again, she said, "You're stupid."  
  
Spike was still searching for a response when Buffy continued, slurring only occasionally. "Don't you get it yet? Don't you think anything about the fact that I've been here for like three hours and haven't even asked once about Angel? Or that I couldn't care less that The Immortal is probably picking up some skank in the bar I was supposed to meet him at tonight? Or that I flew half way around the world to sit here and get drunk with you in your trashed-ass basement apartment that is... so blue!!" She squinted at the bright walls. "Don't you understand that I love you." She slumped back into the sofa and turned slightly toward him. "I love you... you... you." She emphasised each "you" by poking him in the shoulder. Spike was stunned sober, but couldn't speak.   
  
"And when Andrew slipped his slippy slip... slip... wait..." She gathered her thoughts. "No... right, when Andrew mentioned Angel and Spike came to see me, all I could think of was the Spike part of it. I didn't care about anything else. You were alive! I had to see you! And then before I got on the plane Giles comes a runnin' to tell me about this stupid apocalypse and I was NOT gonna lose you again. NOT! And so we did a thing and I broke in here to wait for you and I thought you might want to kiss me but you obviously DON'T! And you said you're glad I moved on with The Immortal but I don't want to move on with him! I want YOU! You're alive and I have a second chance to get it right and I want to be with YOU! You big SHIRTY vampire!" She pushed at him feebly.  
  
Spike's paralasis finally broke. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her breath away. After they pulled apart, Buffy nodded deeply and said, "Okay then."  
  
They grinned at each other for a while and then Spike said, "Angel's gonna be maaaad."   
  
Buffy laughed loudly and pulled him into another kiss.  
  
The End.  
  
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